Ignore ‘Public Opinion,’ Judge Tells McMartin Jury

The judge presiding over Ray Buckey’s second molestation trial told jurors today that they must not consider public opinion in their deliberations of charges involving the defunct McMartin Pre-School.

The case was placed in the jury’s hands after Superior Court Judge Stanley Weisberg delivered 30 minutes of legal instructions.

Buckey, 32, is being tried for the second time on eight counts of child molestation at the now-demolished school his family owned in Manhattan Beach. He took the stand in both trials to deny he ever molested children.

Weisberg told jurors that they must not base their decision on “public opinion or public feeling” about the case. “You must base your decision on the facts and the law,” he said. “You must not be biased against the defendant because he has been arrested for this crime or because he was brought to trial.”